On Becoming a Psychotherapist

The Personal and Professional Journey

Edited by Robert H. Klein, Harold S. Bernard, and Victor L. Schermer

A unique consideration of the personal, professional, and educational experiences that contribute to the development of psychotherapists.

Chapter authors are expert clinicians from a range of clinical orientations.

Considers issues of particular importance to clinicians such as personal history, incorporation of evidence-based treatments in therapy, and mentoring and supervision.

On Becoming a Psychotherapist

The Personal and Professional Journey

First Edition

Edited by Robert H. Klein, Harold S. Bernard, and Victor L. Schermer

Description

Psychotherapists have long debated about the personal and educational experiences that best prepare one for success in their profession. Does some precise combination of genetic endowment and training enable one to thrive as a psychotherapist? Are early experiences important? What about the psychotherapist's own psychotherapy? These are issues of significance not only to mental health professionals but also to those who rely on the quality of their services.

On Becoming a Psychotherapist explores how psychotherapists develop as practitioners through both professional training and the training that can only be obtained through personal experience. Drawing on the expertise of acknowledged leaders in the field, each chapter examines a particular set of
personal experiences or educational pursuits that impacts psychotherapist development and practice. Among those considered are the relevant life events of psychotherapists that occur both prior to undertaking clinical work and as their careers evolve; the importance of supervision and mentoring; the contribution of one's personal treatment experiences; the incorporation of research findings into one's therapeutic approach; and the socio-economic and cultural contexts that influence therapist development. Shedding light on how these components are effectively organized and integrated into professional practice, the book addresses current controversies that surround what constitutes the optimal set of experiences and characteristics for the developing psychotherapist. The result is a vital
resource for directors of training, clinical supervisors, and psychotherapists interested in understanding how and why they have become the clinicians they are today.

"This carefully designed and thoughtfully integrated volume brings together recognized experts who draw on their rich clinical experience and on relevant research to illuminate diverse aspects of psychotherapist training and development. Valuable and highly recommended, this is worthwhile for anyone engaged in selecting, teaching, supervising, and mentoring therapists prepared to meet the challenges of contemporary clinical practice."-David E. Orlinsky, Ph.D., Professor, Department of Comparative Human Development, University of Chicago, Past-president of the Society for Psychotherapy Research, and co-author of How
Psychotherapists Develop and The Psychotherapist's Own Psychotherapy

"Brilliantly and passionately conceived, this survey of the main parameters of becoming a psychotherapist is both comprehensive and erudite. An appreciation of the importance of traumatic experience in the lives of both patient and therapist suffuses the entire volume, which is skillfully constructed for students and their teachers as well as their patients."--Earl Hopper, Ph.D., Institute of Group Analysis, London

"This is a sophisticated, yet very readable book, which carefully focuses on what it takes to become a skilful and successful psychotherapist. The authors represent an experienced group of clinicians, who are well known in the professional literature for their writings and well known in
their clinical settings for their expertise as therapists and supervisors. They have a wealth of valuable information and experiences to share about becoming a psychotherapist. For the reader, who wishes to learn more about the interesting process of becoming a psychotherapist, this book is an excellent resource." --William E. Piper, Ph.D., Professor and Director of the Psychotherapy Program, Department of Psychiatry, University of British Columbia

"This volume takes a major step in elucidating who we as psychotherapists are. Reading On Becoming a Psychotherapist stimulates a personal assessment of one's own 'psychotherapist self,' a useful endeavor for students and seasoned clinicians alike. This masterful effort truly adds punch to the prodding for the reader to do a
self-assessment."--Bonnie J. Buchele, Ph.D., Training and Supervising Psychoanalyst, Past President and Distinguished Fellow, American Group Psychotherapy Association

On Becoming a Psychotherapist

The Personal and Professional Journey

Edited by Robert H. Klein, Harold S. Bernard, and Victor L. Schermer

Author Information

Robert H. Klein, Ph.D., ABPP, CGP, DLFAGPA, is a Lecturer in the Department of Psychiatry at the Yale School of Medicine, and maintains a private practice in Westport and Milford, Connecticut.

Harold S. Bernard, Ph.D., ABPP, CGP, DFAGPA is Clinical Associate Professor of Psychiatry at the New York University School of Medicine, and maintains a private practice in Manhattan and Westport, Connecticut.

Victor L. Schermer, M.A., LPC, CAC, CGP, FAGPA is a licensed psychologist and psychoanalytic psychotherapist in private practice in Philadelphia, and Executive Director of the Study Group for Contemporary Psychoanalytic Process.

Contributors:

Gary M. Burlingame, Ph.D.Professor of PsychologyBrigham Young University

Paul Crits-Christoph, Ph.D.Professor of Psychology in PsychiatryUniversity of Pennsylvania

On Becoming a Psychotherapist

The Personal and Professional Journey

First Edition

Edited by Robert H. Klein, Harold S. Bernard, and Victor L. Schermer

Reviews and Awards

"There is a wide audience for On Becoming a Psychotherapist. First, anyone who is a
trainer or training director in a program with a psychotherapy component will profit from
reading it. Second, psychotherapy practitioners of any age will have the opportunity to see
where they fit on the developmental continuum. And third, students considering a career in
psychotherapy will have a better sense of the journey that they are beginning." -- Joseph C. Kobos, PhD, ABPP, PsycCRITIQUES